| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| June 15, 2000 | Sandra Whalen (651-296-5529) |
ST. PAUL-- A legislative work group consisting of Minnesota's top law enforcement officers and crime prevention policy-makers will make plans this summer for further tightening Minnesota's drunk driving laws, House Crime Prevention Committee Chairman Rich Stanek (R- Maple Grove) said. The group meets for the first time on June 19 at the Department of Corrections headquarters in St. Paul, and periodically through the summer.
The committee will examine proposed felony penalties for convicted drunk drivers, focusing the most attention on those who chronically repeat their DWI violation, said Stanek, a veteran Minneapolis police officer. Besides sentencing guidelines, the group will make recommendations on treatment during and after incarceration, probation options, and the cost to the state of increased penalties. The final report will be completed by September 1.
The 2000 Legislature recodified DWI statutes, essentially taking the fragments of law referring to impaired driving from current transportation and administrative regulations and writing a new, clear set of regulations for enforcing and punishing drunk drivers.
With Stanek's leadership, the House this year approved a mandatory five-year felony penalty for repeat DWI offenders who are convicted of a fourth or subsequent DWI offense within 10 years, with an additional penalties for violating drug and alcohol sobriety requirements. The measure would have then increased other violations by one degree of penalty, but was killed by the Senate.
Revising DWI law responds to critics of tougher DWI laws by acknowledging that the crime has degrees of severity, Stanek said. A change to the law allows clearly defined levels of impaired driving to be determined by certain aggravating factors, such as a prior conviction or loss of license within 10 years, unusually high blood alcohol level, or driving drunk with a child under 16 in the car.
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Minnesota DWI law has been in place since 1967, with only minor changes. During the 1999 Session, lawmakers made administrative changes to DWI sentencing guidelines and made a felony of providing alcohol to minors who cause damage or injury to themselves or others.
"Minnesota has changed a lot in 30 years, as have medical and mental health options," Stanek said. "The changes we are considering will take chronic drunk drivers off the public streets and punish repeat violators, while still providing a safety net for those who need help. For others, the enhanced penalties should make them think carefully about taking the wheel."
The group will consist of the Corrections, Human Services, Finance and Public Safety commissioners, the Hennepin County attorney, state public defenders, city and county officials, probation officers, a deputy attorney general, members of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and a representative of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
For more information on the hearings, please contact House Crime Prevention Committee Administrator Amy Roberts at 651-296-5533.
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